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Karna Provides support to CDC's Ebola and Zika Outbreak Efforts

Submitted by karnaweb on Tue, 09/04/2018 - 17:27

Karna began supporting CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine (DGMQ) in 2015 to prevent the introduction, transmission, and spread of communicable diseases from foreign countries into the United States. This was a critical time for DGMQ because the Ebola outbreak was still spreading in West Africa and CDC was concerned that travelers infected with Ebola may spread the disease to other countries. Karna provided epidemiologic, communications, and training support to prepare and protect our communities from communicable diseases in a globally mobile world. Karna’s activities included notifying passengers exposed to diseases during travel, developing emergency preparedness guides, developing messages and graphics to inform travelers of health risks, and developing e-learning courses to train port staff on evaluating sick passengers.

As the Ebola outbreak was ending in 2016, CDC faced a new public health emergency. Zika had emerged in the Western Hemisphere and was causing serious birth defects in babies. Karna helped DGMQ educate travelers on how to protect themselves and their families during their travels. DGMQ was particularly concerned about people traveling to the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil where Zika virus was widespread. Karna developed a variety of educational materials, including videos, pamphlets, and electronic messages, to help travelers understand how they could protect themselves against Zika both during and after their travels. Karna’s support for DGMQ during these emergency responses helped minimize the spread of these highly contagious diseases and keep travelers safe. The following Karna services were provided: science, epidemiology, surveillance, data management, statistics, operational support, training, and communications.